The game has yet to be released and already has a healthier online population than the majority of titles available on console. That is a clear sign of leadership and brand awareness that loyal fans are eager to support the number 1 exclusive shooter as soon as possible. I am jealous and will be forced to tighten up in Halo Reach for a tad bit longer until I am blessed with my opportunity to participate in the futuristic battle that is Halo 4.

BTW; I literally just got off the phone with MS XBL Customer service on this matter.. DO NOT GO Online with this game, unless you are a journalist or are another approved person, you will be banned, contrary to what people are saying online... it may not happen right away, but you will be banned eventually...

@LX - General:

I've been playing the hell outta Reach, myself.... Just ranked up to Brigadier grade 1.. Cannot wait until Tuesday!

I have recently reached colonel myself. I am way behind in reach because I spend the majority of my xbox time playing halo wars. the people in reach have risen to a skill level that is too much for me and my skill lacking clan at times. Hopefully I have better luck in Halo 4.

Thankfully. Nobody that I game with has played Halo 4 early. I need all my soldiers in active duty.

Yeah, it took me awhile to get my skill up there.... now I'm averaging about 12 or more kills a game.. I found that playing Team Swat really helps you get better with DMRs..... also, when shooting with a DMR, aim at the top of your enemies head, instead of right in their face... trust me, it helps..

I just hope the feel of Halo Multiplayer is still intact and that 343 didn't change it too much...

@Inf3cted:

Well, you play at your own risk... Like I said, I called MS to see if it was ok to play and was told not to play until the 6th... I'm not telling anyone what to do, Just what I was told by MS customer service... Personally, I wouldn't risk having my console banned.... BTW, console bans are typically not immediate, they may take up to a few days..

ALSO; contrary to what people are saying, MS cannot tell the difference between a 'legit' copy and a burned disk..

Actually no it IS safe. Halo 4 broke street date and if Msoft won't ban people since they won't know who is a pirate nor a legit member not to mention people are already using their double XP bonuses and if they ban them it will cause an uproar.

Stat resetting will also not happen since again people are using their double XP.

A few 343i employees already said it's ok to play online since it broke street date so no noone is getting banned..because it broke street date.

People get copies early all the time, the focus is not that you are but is it legit and where it came from (some Big Box Mart employee, GameRob...errr...Gamestop, etc).

Why? Do you think Microsoft is incapable of verifying someone that spins up a burned copy versus a legitimate pressed one? The media is different, read times, the drive flashed, and things M$ is not mentioning but is effective at using to always get people trying to pull a fast one.

Just because it can run does not mean a simple audit or flagging system will not detect discrepancies and thus put you on the list for a ban wave. Especially on a cash cow like this that is tied directly to M$. Personally, support the damn company and don't be a cheap chump. You are online, you can afford a Live sub obviously, a pc and media to pirate with, and so on. Don't be stupid and play with fire and later go complaining when you get caught and banned for being a thief. I always get a kick out of the modders pleading in thread with M$ with the lamest excuses after a ban.

It is sad to say that MS will ban a large majority of those who went out of their way to play a game early and are some of the most supportive of their brand. That is a clear sign of a disingenuous attitude towards their loyal fans that are eager to play Halo 4 as soon as possible. I am sad that they will be forced to re buy a system for taking the opportunity to play Halo 4 before release.

What are u sad for? They are aware of the risk of playing the game early. When you play with fire, no one is going to care about you bitching about getting burned. Whether you agree with MS actions or not, its their system and they can do what they want with THEIR system.

You're complaining because MS banned "fans" that STOLE from them? What fan steals when they like your product? I would rather not have you as fan if you feel you want to steal from my company. Those are not "loyal fans" as you call it....those are effin' thieves!!!! Not only would I ban you, I would report you to the FBI for having my copyrighted material on your illegally modified system. You are NOT entitled to anything

Yet another useless article from Kotaku. Why this crummy website can still submit trash to N4G is beyond me. How many more articles do we need from them telling us how many people are playing Halo before the game has even launched?

Utterly laughable. I wonder if we'll ever see some real journalism from these hacks.

well it depends on what time frame. in some cases it could already be the sixth of november somewhere while some countries are behind others. but i think most of these thousand people would be either in different time zones or just people who are playing don't seem to either care or paitent enough to wait one more day, perhaps the number of people playing online will makes people think if they are playing it now, i can start playing it now, and that sort of false idealism.

you know, rather than ban people, if 343 was really smart they should have done what from software did to people pirated/got the game before its release date - "wanna play the game early? ok, but we're going to make it even more brutally difficult for you..."